2011/09/06

JR Highers Should Not Be Allowed Out of the Home

Just a quick, non-picture post about my first couple days at Tano Jr High.

Almost every JET I have talked to says their schedule changes frequently. Some weeks you may visit 20 schools, some weeks you only go to a few. There is no apparent rhyme or reason for this, it just seems to happen that way. My Jr High is no exception. Yesterday (monday), the Japanese teacher of English (JTE) told me we only had one class all day. And then no classes tomorrow (Tuesday). Perhaps I would like to go to the elementary school tomorrow?

You're not getting rid of me that easily.

Our first class was pretty exciting and a pretty clear picture of what one might expect from the students and ourselves. The kids were quite voluble the whole class. They listened to me some of the time, to the teacher some of the time and to their peers most of the rest of the time. They are all nice kids, don't get me wrong. They just seem to have a lot on their minds that they want to confess to their BFFs before lunchtime.

No problem.

I wandered around the classroom, interjecting into conversations, putting people on the spot, describing my hometown of San Francisco, California, and handing out postcard-sized flashcards of major scenery, chocolate, the Spanish flag, and my puppy (KAWAIIIIIIIIIII!). Yes. Puppy always wins them over.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Mary! That is always my favorite photo! I am so glad your natural sweet self translates into any language. xo

M P Farray said...

I also explained to my grown-up students what a caboose is. They didn't think it was nearly as interesting as the girls in my office had thought it.